What Went Wrong: Your Quick Fix Reference

Configuring your home network is pretty straightforward, but that doesn't guarantee that you won't have any problems. Here are some potential difficulties you might encounter and how to resolve them:

All the PCs on your home network must use the same workgroup name to communicate easily with each other. By default, the Windows XP Network Setup Wizard sets the workgroup name to MSHOME whereas Windows 2000 defaults to WORKGROUP. Make sure that you have set the same workgroup name on each of your PCs.

If you can see the other PCs on your network in the Network Neighborhood section of Windows Explorer but can't access those PCs, it might be that no folders have yet been shared. See Chapter 8, “Sharing Your Network,” for information on sharing folders.

If you cannot see the other PCs in Windows Explorer, you might need to configure your PC's firewall to add your network to a trusted zone. See Chapter 7 for more information on configuring firewalls.

Even though all Linksys routers use 192.168.1.1 as their default address, other brands of routers might not. If you have a non-Linksys router, you can try 192.168.0.1 to access the router, but you'll need to check the user manual for details (such as the correct password or different IP addresses).

Some ISPs require you to enter the IP address for the DNS server manually. If you find that you can access websites using IP addresses but not by using names, check to see if your ISP specifies DNS server addresses, and then enter them into the router configuration using the router setup utility.

If you have a wireless network, each PC must use the same wireless security settings as your router to connect to the network. See Chapter 7 for more information on checking and modifying these settings if one or more of your PCs are unable to connect wirelessly.